Into the Future

QtrBel said:

The average you often see is 2 per horse. But, that is dependent on your area. The ag extension agent for your county can give you the best idea. Add an acre for a barn/storage /dry lot and then room for your house and drive. I'd say 5 is the minimum if you have good grass most of the year and adequate rainfall to keep things green and growing. You don't say where you are at but you'll need to figure in hay. They can tell you about how long you'll need to feed over winter (late fall/early spring). You'll also want to look at your state laws for fencing livestock. Depending on where you locate you may not be able to use electric along a road. Now if the pasture area is behind your house you may not have restrictions and if the horse is acclimated and respects it then it works well. As for voltage you want a livestock charger. As long as it is rated for large animals (cows, horses, around here the odd camel or few) then you would be fine. Best is one that plugs into a source but I have used solar successfully. You just need to make sure you have a good sized battery to store power.

Click to expand...

DanisMom said:

LoveGus said:

Talking to our bank (to get ideas for the future) we can actually get a decent mortgage (up to $165,000) without out breaking our backs to pay it each month. Ok that's fine we weren't looking to go that high but it gives us an idea.

The two of us have always wanted a smallish farm, me I love fresh eggs and miss the ones my step uncle would give us so I've wanted chickens. My fiancé wants a pot belly pig. If we aren't boarding I'd look at getting a pair of horses for the sake of companionship. I have talked to my sister about average cost of keeping a horse on property as that's what she once did. Something I'd be willing and able to do.



My only questions for you guys are:
~ Bare minimum of acres for a pair of horses?
- this way I know where our minimum is
- yes I know this may differ but just ideas

~ what type of fencing is lowest maintenance but best at keeping a horse safely contained?
- I've heard wood fencing can be pretty high maintenance which is why I'm asking
- again I know this is preference
- I've heard electric tape fencing is good but what voltage would even be best?

This won't happen for a few years yet, I'm not willing to break the lease which is a few years. Plus I'd like to put away money for the move down, first expenses (utilities and food) etc. I just want to get the ideas down to research. Which is another thing we are doing. We've got A half a page full of prospective places we'd like to go but aren't going to truly narrow down til the time to find a home is closer. I just like to research and since we want to bring animals onto the little farm I need to research that as well.

Click to expand...

I live in Appalachia--meaning the cost of living is cheap and the economy is poor. Even here you will not get a farm for $165K with a house and a barn and any kind of acreage. You might get a modest house with maybe three acres but you are going to have to add the barn, fencing, and any other horse amenities. Not trying to be negative here--just realistic. We bought our place 35 years ago, built the house and barn and put up fence. I'd say we had at least $130K in it then and with maintenance and improvements I'd laugh if someone offered me less than $250K now. And I live on an unimproved dirt road. But since you are not in any hurry I'm sure you will have time to check it out.

Grass quality really has a bearing on how many acres you need but I would want at least two acres per horse. So add another acre for the house, yard, chicken yard, etc.

I have vinyl covered high tensile fencing. It's awesome. I once had my Arab gelding get a foot caught in the lowest wire. He pulled it off the end post so he put a lot of pressure on it. He had some sore muscles for a couple of weeks but not even a scratch. I liked the look of the Timeless fencing when I was at Equine Affaire this year. I would consider it if I had to replace fencing. You can add electric strands as needed or use only electric. The fence charger will tell you how many miles of fencing it will charge. Get one larger than you think you will need. You are right about board fencing being high maintenance. The last thing you want to do is spend time maintaining fence when you already have a full schedule of work and maintenance. All fencing needs some maintenance but mine requires very little!

Click to expand...

farmpony84 said:

I only glanced at the responses so forgive me for repeating things.


The acreage will depend on your state and the rules they have. I was always told the general rule of thumb is 3 acres for the first horse and then 1 for each additional horse so 2 horses would need 4 acres of pasture. I also know that if you have a barn where you can actually stall your horses and then you have paddocks for turn out the rules can change and you can actually get away with less acreage. Of course you are more than likely going to end up with dry lots if you have too many horses on too few acres.

Click to expand...

farmpony84 said:

Also...


You asked about fencing - cheapest and easiest to maintain is electric. (Easiest to maintain - meaning you can go out and fix it yourself - easiest not meaning the least amount of maintenance).


I have ramm fencing. Hate it. I'm ripping down the thick ramm fencing and replacing with wood (for the paddock areas). I do have the ramm pencil wire on my larger pasture. Love it. It's clean. I have only 4 rows and that's too wide so I need to redo it with 5 rows (closer together). I also have a row of electric running down it. I'm a fan of the electric.


Also... pigs. I have a pig. He's in his own paddock away from the barn because my horses are terrified of him. They think he is a hoof eating monster. Some places have pigs with the horses and no issues though. Alos - my pig has cow grade electric around him. He is not at all phased by horse electric and he'll walk right through it.

Click to expand...

SilverMaple said:

Go visit the areas you're considering and go look at available properties. Set aside a couple of days and contact a realtor and go look at two types of places: those within your price range, and those that have everything you're looking for. It can be an eyeopening experience on what you can actually afford, and help you compare 'what you want' with 'what you can realistically afford.' Lots of places look good on paper, and are awful in person. If you can find a place for $165,000 that meets your land criteria in the Lexington area, go buy a lottery ticket because you lucked out. We looked half-heartedly there a few years ago on a whim, and were looking at $325,000 plus for any rural property that fit our needs, and we aren't particularly picky or high-maintenance people.

In most areas of the country, $165,000 won't get you much unless you're willing to build from scratch or do a ton of work on a barely-livable house and overgrown mess of a property. Before you get your heart set on something, make sure it's actually feasible and realistic in the area you are considering. If not, you either need to increase your budget substantially, or find a less-expensive area in which to live. Our area of the country isn't all that expensive if you can find land that isn't in crops, and even then, we've been looking for 10 years for that elusive 'holy grail' of a property that is under $200,000, has over 5 acres, and at least a livable house and barn/shed with some pasture space. Haven't found it yet. We nearly bought a place a few years ago-- 12 acres and the house needed a lot of work. By the time we looked at what it would cost to renovate the house, fence the pastures, and put in some sort of shed for horses, it was unaffordable to us when the mortgage payment was factored in. I see a lot of people go into purchasing rural property with big dreams, then realize quickly how much money it costs for fencing, water, pens, corrals, etc. and end up in over their head.

If you must find a place for that budget, really look into foreclosures and short sales. Visit with a property attorney on your options with those, and what the rules are (for instance, in some areas if you buy a property at a tax sale, the previous owner has up to a year to pay the taxes, in which case you would then have to reliquish the property back, so do your homework first). If this move is a ways in the future, and it sounds like it is, then spend a few years saving every cent toward your savings and paying down any debt you have so you have a nice nest egg to get your new place going, or can afford a much larger mortgage without financial hardship to get your dream property.

Click to expand...

walkinthewalk said:

Get on the City Data website. It has a forum that covers all the United Staes. You might find some useful information there

Also, there is no state tax in Tennessee. Counties do vary on auto inspections and some fees. License plate sticker prices are state-mandated but each county has its own smog inspection fees or it doesn't have any.

Regardless of where you look for property, if the price is too good to be true, be sure it's not in a flood plain these days, places that have never flooded before are flooding --- buying in a flood plain requires you to purchase flood insurance plus build an Ark

Click to expand...

DanisMom said:

LoveGus said:

I'll definitely be taking a look at the timeless fencing. It's been a long time since I was up at Equine Affair (I prefer the one in Massachusetts) but would you consider that a good place to go for ideas (like fencing as you said)?

Click to expand...

Yes. I've found a lot of good ideas and products at EA. I am closer to the one in OH so that's where I go. It's a good place to check out all the latest new products and to compare different types of fencing, costs, and installation requirements. If I remember correctly, you can even borrow a gas powered fence post pounder from Timeless if you buy their fence. (I think it was them--it could have been someone else.)

Click to expand...